Downtown Hampton on Ice!Nov. 23. Strap on skates and hit the outdoor rink. Admission is $6 and skate rental is $2. The rink is open until March 3. Virginia Air & Space Center, 600 Settlers Landing Road, Hampton. Check out www.vasc.org for a full schedule.

Celebration in Lights. 5:30-10 p.m. Nov. 25-Jan. 1. Celebration will open on Thanksgiving night, Nov. 25. Newport News Park will be transformed by more than half a million individual lights creating holiday and fanciful scenes. Park is located at the intersection of Fort Eustis Boulevard and Jefferson Avenue, Newport News. $10 per car, $50 by bus. Information: 757-926-1400.

A Creole Christmas with The Preservation Hall Jazz Band. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1. The program features such favorites as Blue Christmas, Swinging in a Winter Wonderland, Bells will be Ringin', and the Dreydel Song. The American Theatre, 125 E. Mellen St., Hampton. All seats $30. 757-722-2787.

First Light Celebration. Friday, Dec. 2. The Hampton History Museum will commemorate the first recorded English Christmas in America (which took place in Hampton!). The fun includes Olde English caroling, children’s activities, ginger cakes, wassail, corn cakes and more. Also, a re-enactment of the story of Captain John Smith and the Kecoughtan natives. The event concludes with the blue star lighting atop the museum. Hampton History Museum, 120 Old Hampton Lane, Hampton. Free. 757-727-1610. http://www.hampton.gov/history_museum

16th Annual Holiday and Kwanzaa Marketplace. 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 2. Purchase your holiday and Kwanzaa gifts from the museum shop, specializing in African, African-American, and other multicultural items. From 5:30-7 p.m., enjoy special holiday music, sales, and activities. Guests are encouraged to donate gently used clothing items for women that will be given to TRANSITIONS. Baskets will be available before the Marketplace if you would like to bring items. Contact Vanessa Thaxton-Ward for more information at 757-727-5508 or vanessa.thaxton-ward@hamptonu.edu. Hampton University Museum. 757-727-5508. museum.hamptonu.edu/

Santa’s Workshop. Saturday, Dec. 3 and Dec. 10. Celebrate the holiday season with Santa and his elves. Make reindeer chow, create snow and play a game of snowball toss. Create a special holiday gift to take home. Have your picture taken with Santa. Activities included in regular exhibit admission. Photos with Santa are $10 each. Virginia Air & Space Museum, 600 Settlers Landing Road, Hampton. 757-727-0900. www.vasc.org

23rd Annual Downtown Hampton Lighted Boat Parade. 7:15 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3. More than 20 boats are expected to participate. This parade of illuminated power and sail boats will be visible from anywhere along the Hampton River, however spectators wanting to hear the narration will want to find a spot near the Hampton Maritime Center. Downtown Hampton waterfront. Free. 757-727-1276. 700 Settlers Landing Road, Hampton. www.downtownhampton.com

Cirque Du Soleil — QUIDAM. 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7-8, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9-10, 1 and 5 p.m. Dec. 11. A young girl's escape into a world of imagination. Young Zoé is bored, her parents, distant and apathetic, ignore her. Her life has lost all meaning. Seeking to fill the void of her existence, she slides into an imaginary world, the world of QUIDAM, where she meets characters who encourage her to free her soul. Hampton Coliseum, 1000 Coliseum Drive, Hampton. Admission fee. www.hampton.gov/coliseum/